If Harry Were
by Babasahin Ko
Summary: The Dursleys have kicked Harry out for good. Harry can do amazing magic, but has to keep it a secret. He has to struggle to know the moral limits of his abilities with the help of Ron and Hermione. First fic. Everything JKR's, not mine. Just a lowly fan.
1. Chapter 1

"It would be unfair to let the boy become the subject of every witch and wizard's prodding and examination—not to mention just your average busybodies—before he is even able to speak. He'll be much better off like this for now," said Dumbledore to Professor McGonagall as they left Harry at the Dursley's.

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As the years wore on, Harry experienced a tormented childhood. He was maltreated by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon because Harry's mother and father were once wizards. However, Harry was oblivious of this fact. The Dursley's kept anything unusual, much less magical, as far out of reach as possible. However, this does not mean that there were not intimations that there was something more to Harry. Every once in a while strange things happened around Harry Potter.

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There was the incident with the snake at the zoo. He didn't know how it happened, but the glass to the snake case somehow disappeared. Not only that, but he appeared to be able to speak with the snake in the cage. And there was the time when he was walking around the playground, when he was able to move the sand in the sandbox. He was able to form various three-dimensional shapes with the sand, simply by willing it in his mind. He didn't even notice he was doing this until one of the younger children pointed it out. Another marked occasion was when he flew out of the swing. He didn't merely jump off. He soared to the other side of the park. No one saw of course, but it certainly left Harry stunned. Each time one of these odd events were witnessed by Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon, Harry would get a severe punishment.

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It was not until Harry was eleven when he finally found out the truth about his identity. It was then that he was visited by Rubeus Hagrid.

"What do you mean a wizard?" asked an utterly confused Harry.

"Yer mean they never told 'yeh?" replied Hagrid.

"STOP! STOP!" yelled Uncle Vernon.

Harry had had enough. Eleven years of torment were boiling up in side of him. Here he was, at the threshold of learning the truth about his family and identity and Vernon Dursley wanted to hush it up and take it away.

Harry turned a glare at his uncle and Vernon's head immediately shrank to the size of an orange. However, Uncle Vernon kept squeaking, "What are you doing to me?! Stop this at once!?" His Aunt Petunia screamed in horror. Harry faced her and she instantly turned in a miniscule mouse. Finally, Harry rounded on Dudley and with a gesture, his cousin had transformed completely into a piglet.

Hagrid was in shock. He had never witnessed a child—much less one who had never gone to wizarding school or had anything to do with the magical world—perform a non-verbal transfiguration spell like that. Hagrid stood with his mouth agape, handing Harry his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Meanwhile, Uncle Vernon was completely beside himself.

"HARRY POTTER!" It came out in squeaks even though Uncle Vernon was screaming at the top of his voice, totally incensed. "I Never want to see your face again, boy! You hear me?! I'm throwing you out into the streets! You can go survive with this … your kind of … oh, whatever you are! Stay away from us! Stay away from my family! Do you hear me?!" And with that the Dursleys scuttled off into the next room.

"I've got a lot of 'splainin ter do Harry. 'Specially 'bout usin' yer powers like tha'," said Hagrid.

"I don't even know what it did exactly. It just poured out of me. I could feel it first, then I thought it up and it happened! How? Will they return to normal?" asked Harry.

"We'll take 'o tha', but fers we have 'ta figger out where you'll be stayin' from now on," Hagrid threw his coat around Harry. "Fer now get some sleep."

Harry lay down, thinking of what just happened and anticipating his first day in a new world he would never have imagined.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yes," Mr. Ollivander said. "Curious how the wand that chose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is the brother of the once you hold in your hand. Twin cores … yes, very curious. We must expect great things from you Mr. Potter, great things … be they terrible or otherwise. The wand chooses it's master and I hope that this one has chosen it's master well.

As Harry held the wand, it became an extension of his arm. He could feel a strange sensation surging through him. It spread from his hand, coursed through his arm, and then throughout his entire body. The feeling was so palpable to Harry. He was suddenly reminded of the power he felt when he transfigured the Dursleys. He knew that he could perform magic without the wand, but with it he gained mastery over that power.

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"Power," Harry thought to himself. "All the power in the world. All the power I ever wanted: power to get back at Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia; power to get back at Dudley; power for all the years of being beaten, yelled at, abused; power for life. No one would ever hurt me again. No one would ever make fun of me. Huh, they wouldn't even dare look me in the eye. No one would even dare. I dare them. I dare them all. I dare them to take me on. I dare them to defy me." Harry's eyes glazed over as he was lost in thought, "But do I want this power? Power only to make others suffer as I did? Power to make others cringe at the sight of me? What do I want with this magic?

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"Harry? Hey, Harry?" Hagrid spoke, "Harry are you a'right?"

Harry woke from his reverie, "Um … uh … yeah, Hagrid. I'm ok. The wand just felt … different. That's all."

"Fer a minute there I thought someone had confunded yeh or sumthin', eh. Well, come on. We still have to get you a room and board at the Leaky Cauldron now that yeh need a place ter stay n'all. I'll be checkin' with Dumbledore about where yeh should be stayin' permanently, but the Cauldron will have to do until we can get tha' straightened out."

Harry was reminded that they were still in Mr. Ollivander's shop. He turned to say good-bye.

"Thanks, Mr. Ollivander," said Harry.

"No, thank you, Mr. Potter," replied the old man, as he bowed to Harry.

The chime tinkled as they closed the door to the shop and stepped back onto Diagon Alley. The street was still very busy with Hogwarts students running about. But Harry had more shopping to do than just to get his school supplies. He also had to get new clothes, as all his earthly belongings were now probably burned to the ground. Fortunately, they were able to find a shop at the far end of Diagon Alley that sold wizard's clothes that passed well enough for muggle ones too. Harry took a couple pairs of jeans, some shirts, underwear, and a pair of trainers. It took them some time to get back to the Leaky Cauldron to make arrangements for Harry's stay. Word had gotten out that he was in the area and people were looking to meet him and shake hands all the way back.

When they walked into the place, all eyes were once again on Harry. While Hagrid talked to Tom, Harry found an empty table. He placed his newly acquired school supplies on it and sat down. With a brief respite from all the hustle and bustle of the day, Harry's mind drifted on the many events that had happed in a matter of a few days. There was so much that he still didn't understand and it was all so amazing and unbelievable. He was filled with feelings of excitement and awe. He felt as if he was in the clouds and everything around him was floating. While Harry was lost in thought, he was absentmindedly tapping his wand on the table. He then noticed that his school supplies were slowly slipping from the table. He went to catch it and he realized that the reason the table was teetering was because it was hovering a foot above the ground. In fact, he himself was suspended in midair in his seat. Looking around, he saw that everyone else was in the same predicament! However, with this realization, he panicked and everything fell back down to the ground with a loud thump. At first there were quizzical looks from all the patrons, but it appeared that they quickly dismissed what happened. Harry wiped his brow in relief.

"Oi Harry!" Yelled Hagrid from the bar, "Do yeh want somethin' ter drink?"

"Oh … yeah, Hagrid, I'd like something. Perhaps a fizzy drink," Harry yelled back.

"Ok, well, I don't think Tom's got fizzy drinks, but I'll get yeh somthin'"

"Sure, sure," Harry answered.

Harry was still in shock over making everyone in the place levitate. That, by far, was the strangest thing he had ever done. True, the magic that he had performed already was certainly peculiar—even scary at times—but this was the first time he had done something to several people and objects at the same time. This was definitely a first. What Harry found curious was that it happened and he was not even consciously doing it. He did remember that he had a floating feeling while it was all happening. Harry was trying to make some sort of sense of it all.

Hagrid was on his way back over from the bar when he slipped and started to fall over, spilling the drinks he was holding. As he was lunging, Harry reached for him urgently, trying to at least catch the drinks. Harry was too late, but the drinks never hit the ground. In a moment, everything in the Leaky Cauldron was still. No one moved. Nothing stirred. It appeared as if the people were not even breathing. Harry crashed on the ground, expecting to be crushed by the weight of Hagrid falling upon him. But as he winced, Hagrid never fell. Harry got up and brushed himself off. He gasped at the sight around him. He walked around the statue-like Hagrid, observing the contents of the mugs Hagrid was holding spilling out in mid-air. Harry pushed him as hard as he could so that Hagrid stood aright. Harry replaced the mugs in Hagrid's hands, being careful to get the contents safely back in them.

Harry walked around the scene in utter amazement. "How is this all possible?" He said to himself. "First I make the whole place float in the air and now this? Did I do this too?" Harry remembered the immediate thought he had when he saw Hagrid about to trip. He had felt himself lurch, feeling a sense of urgency, and yelled, "stop!" in his mind. "I guess I did do this," Harry concluded. "Well, how do I get things back the way they were?" he muttered under his breath. Harry scratched his head with his wand. "Oh!" he thought, smacking himself on the forehead with his hand. Harry swished his wand in the air, but nothing happened. He shook his wand as if this action would make it work properly. Harry thought for a moment. He recalled all the times he was able to perform magic at will. That is when it occurred to him that so far every time he caused magic to happen, he could feel it internally. That feeling bound itself to his thoughts and seemed to emanate from him. So, Harry squared his shoulders, felt the movement in his own body (the beating of his heart, the rush of his blood, the breath going in and out of him) and he held his wand aloft, much like a conductor queuing his orchestra. Then, Harry made a swift gesture with his wand and the place came back to life. The din of the Leaky Cauldron resumed, people went about their business as if nothing happened. Hagrid walked over with their drinks and set them down on the table.

"Harry? Weren't yeh sittin' down just now?" Hagrid asked, puzzled.

"Er, yeah. I just got up real quick to stretch" Harry replied with a smirk.

"But I swear …" Hagrid muttered, but seemed to let go of the idea.

"You must be tired from all that shopping. Go ahead and have your drink. What did you get?" Harry said, sitting down and chuckling to himself slightly.

"Oh, er, I got me'self some fire whiskey. As it turns out Tom did have a bottle or two of that fizzy drink stuff, so I got yeh some o' that. As far as your accommodations, it looks like Tom's got a vacant room for yeh upstairs. It's good enough for now. You'll be staying at Hogwarts in a month and you'll be right at home there. While you're here, I'll be checkin' in on yeh from time to time. I got other stuff to tend to on the grounds at Hogwarts, you know. Alright then, go ahead and get yer stuff upstairs and settle in. It's been a big day and yeh need yer rest" advised Hagrid.

Harry grabbed his packages and started to head upstairs. Tom walked around the bar and helped with Harry's supplies. They both went up and Tom showed him where his room was. It wasn't much. A simple room with a bed. Tom told him that the lavatory was down the hall. Harry jumped on the bed still excited about the things that had just happened downstairs. He felt giddy at the idea of being here in this world—a world of witches and wizards. But as he was reveling in the novelty of it all, a sobering thought came to him: he was a stranger in this wizarding world. He had lost the Dursleys. Yes, they were terrible to him, but at least they were family. Now, he was alone. But for Hagrid, he really didn't have a friend in the world at all.

"What am I going to do now?" muttered Harry.

"What do you mean?" came a small voice by Harry's head.

Harry bolted up in surprise. He looked around, but did not see anyone. "Whoa, what now?" he thought. He turned around again and saw that he was definitely alone, except for a little mouse that was nibbling on a bread crumb on the side-table.

He was staring at the mouse when it said, "Well, what do you mean?"

"You can speak?" said Harry wide-eyed.

"Of course I can, but you're the one that spoke to me first, so naturally, I'm answering you," replied the mouse matter-of-factly.

Harry thought of the time he spoke to the snake at the zoo. He had the impression that maybe it was just that one time and that he was only able to "speak snake" since he was never really did speak to any other animals.

"Well, uh … what's your name?"

"Name's Heathbert, but you can call me Bert. What about you?"

"I'm Harry"

"Potter?"

"Yeah."

"So you're the one that's the talk of the town."

"Yeah, well."

"So, what did you mean by 'what am I going to do now'?"

"Well, everyone around here thinks that I'm something special. They talk about me as if I've done something great, but I haven't done anything at all. So, far I've been able to do a bit of magic, but so what? Can't every witch and wizard do the same?"

"Tell you what, I was downstairs a while ago and I saw you tap your wand on the table and made everything in the place float in the air. I haven't seen a wizard that can do that. Mind you, I haven't been around that much, but it was still fantastic."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if I've figured it all out myself. I think I know how it all works now, but it's all so new. Besides, I thought wizards said incantations to make magic. My way is different. I feel like freak in a world I don't even know."

"Don't worry. You'll learn your way around soon enough. Mice are mice. There aren't really any magical mice, but I've seen both the muggle world and the magical world and there are a lot of things that are the same. You'll just have to find your way to survive. Lots of things can change around you, but if your true to yourself, you'll be able to fair fine."

Harry thought of the word "muggle" and remembered Hagrid telling him it was what they called non-magical folk. He considered what Bert was telling him and admitted it was good advice—even though it was coming from a mouse.

"Thanks for the word, Bert"

"No problem."

It was dark outside and Harry was getting tired. "Thanks again Bert and good night."

"Good night Harry Potter."

Harry went to bed that night feeling lonely, but encouraged. His talk with Bert did help. He wasn't sure how to take all this in, but if he could survive eleven years with the Dursleys, then this should be easy. Still, he had his doubts. How was it going to be at Hogwarts? Were people going to be accepting of him, or would he just experience the same maltreatment from wizards and witches who would not understand him. He still had a month to go before leaving on the train to go to his new school. He had a month to stay at the Leaky Cauldron and figure things out a bit more.


	3. Chapter 3

It was now only half a month before Harry was to go on the train to Hogwarts. His stay at the Leaky Cauldron was comfortable, but lonely. He was reminded of the days he spent in the cupboard under the stairs at the Dursleys. This was definitely infinitely better than his living situation then, but there was still no one to talk to, no one with whom to play. So, being eleven years old and having nothing else to do, Harry entertained himself by toying with his newfound abilities.

He would spend the day stopping time and raiding Tom's pantry. At one point he decided to see what fire whiskey tasted like and found that it tasted horrible and accidentally spit it out over one of Tom's patrons. Needless to say, the man was quite surprised to find himself wet with fire whiskey after Harry started time back up again. Harry also developed the bad habit of transforming whatever Tom gave him for meals in to less healthy, but more delicious fare. He would always make sure that no one else in the place was looking, but one time an old woman who was sitting close to him at the bar seemed to notice that the food on his plate was changing. Fortunately, she was not a busybody and kept any comments to herself. In his room, Harry would make the furniture float and dance. During the course of learning how to levitate himself and the objects around him, Harry was able to figure out how to fly around his room. After he got enough practice moving around in the air, he decided to see how fast he could go. Grant it, he didn't really have much space in which to fly, but he still zipped from one corner to the other. He found from these experiments that he could move fast enough that it was almost as good as stopping time. Harry was very pleased with himself.

One day, Harry was feeling ill. He managed to catch a very bad cold. Tom had brought him up a tray of tea and some sandwiches. Naturally, Heathbert came to call.

"Hey Harry! How are you doing today?"

"Nod too good, Bert. God a bit of a cood"

"Ooh, nasty stuff. Glad I can't catch it from you."

"Haha, fuddy."

"Mind if I have a bite or two of your sandwich"

"Nod at all. Go ahead and hab sub."

"Are you taking anything for that nasty cold?"

"Well, Tom gab me sub stuff from a place called St. Mungos"

"Oh, that's good. You'll be well in no time. I've seen that stuff work on loads of people."

"I wish I was well already. I hate my nose being stobbed up."

"Well, why don't you use some of that magic of yours? I've seen healers do it."

"Healers?"

"Yeah, they're the wizarding version of doctors and nurses."

"I'b neber healed anyone, much less myself. I wouldn't know where to begin."

"There's a first time for everything. Besides, if it doesn't work, there's no loss. There's no one else in here to call you stupid for trying."

"You'b got a point." Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He imagined the illness coming out of him and being well again. He felt a distinct warmth come over his body.

"I think it worked. It worked! I can breath again! Thanks very much Bert"

"You're welcome! Although, technically, I didn't really do anything," Bert said with a chuckle.

Now that he was well again, Harry's appetite came back. Harry could taste again and reached for a sandwich. He also poured himself some tea. The water was scalding hot. Harry poured some crème and sugar into it and stirred it with his wand. Harry was thinking it would be much better if the tea cooled off a bit. Before he took out the tip of his wand, he saw that the tea was getting cooler. In fact, it was turning to ice. Harry's wand was now stuck in the cup, frozen in the tea. Harry waved it around a bit to show Heathbert what he had done. Heathbert clapped his little paws and squeaked a laugh. Harry wanted to see if he could reverse turning the tea to ice, so he concentrated on having heat flow through his arm and into his wand. Within a second or two the water was boiling. It became so hot that the cup exploded. Reflexively, Harry formed a protective sphere around the exploding cup. Once again, Harry was amazed at what he had done. He floated the globe over the trash can and let it go.

"Bert! Did you see that?!"

"I was right here! Yes, I saw it!"

"Bert, how is it that I can do all these things all of a sudden? Up until now, I haven't really done much magic. Yeah, there were some times when I could do peculiar things, but half the time I thought I was just daydreaming. Now, I feel like I can do just about anything I can come up with in my head!" Harry said, tapping his head with his wand. "I just don't get it. Can I actually do anything? Anything that I want to do? This is great! I mean, I feel like a kid in this fantastic game, but … but at the same time I've got no one to play it with. I've got no one to show it to. I don't think I can even show Hagrid. He was shocked enough when I transformed the Durselys into … um, I'll tell you about that later.

"I'm here."

"Well, of course I have you, Bert, but it's different. I've always wanted friends. Kids I can play and have fun with, but there's no one."

"Harry, just you wait. Soon you'll be at school with loads of children that are like you. You're most definitely a wizard and your going to a _wizarding_ school, aren't you?"

"Yes, but … if Hagrid thinks I'm odd and you say that I do things that you've never seen another wizard do before … I was a freak to the Durselys, to muggles. I just don't want to be a freak to everyone else at school either."

"Like I said before: don't worry about it. Just be who you are."

"But what if who I am is too different from everybody else?" harry said getting frustrated with himself. "Why am I even thinking this stuff? Aren't I just supposed to just have fun with it and never mind anyone else? Why am I even hiding it? Is this what puberty is like for wizards? I mean, aren't I about that age? Maybe a little early."

"I'm not sure about puberty. I don't even think mice have it, whatever it is. What I do know is that you are going through a lot of changes and anyone in your position would be troubled the same way. You're a good kid and so you think this stuff through and don't just brandish your abilities at every turn. There's something to being humble. Then again, don't let that hamper you from showing other people your true self. Or else you may never be able to make any true friends."

"You've always got good advice, Bert."

"I try. You know what? It would be fun if you could see what _I_ do for a change. I mean I do have my own adventures here and there. I bet it would get you out of the doldrums. If you're a kid and can't play with other kids, then I wish you were a mouse so you could play with me."

"That's a funny idea, Bert, but I don't think I could do that. I turned my Aunt into a mouse once, but I'm not sure about turning myself into one. Then again, let's see." Harry concentrated on his body, trying to will it to change shape. He felt his skin twitch and within moments, he had turned himself into a mouse.

"This is wonderful! Thanks Bert."

"You know, you keep thanking me for stuff I didn't do."

"Well, you're the one who came up with the idea. How do I look as a mouse?"

"Pretty good. My sisters would love you."

"So what do we do now?"

"Lets see. The cook will be preparing dinner soon and I think she's making stew. We could go raid the kitchen and pick off a couple of vegetables and some cheese."

"That stew. Eww. I hate that stew. I usually change it to pie or something more appetizing. I'm not sure if I'd go for all the vegetables, but the cheese sounds good."

"Great! Then follow me and keep close. The cook's cat is a mean, feisty devil."

Harry jumped off the bed and met Heathbert by the floorboard. It felt funny to run along on all fours. It took some getting used to. Having a tail was obviously something else that was new. He thought it might be hard keeping his tail in mind while he's running around. Other than those two things, being a mouse didn't feel much different from being human. Once they were together, they both skittered to a hole in the wall.

Seeing the world from a mouse's perspective was exciting. Harry was seeing things that he never observed before. Things that were too minute to notice were now gargantuan. As they ran through the wall, Harry found buttons, balls of dust, and spiders in his way. He recalled the spiders in his old cupboard at the Dursleys, but they were tiny in comparison the ones he tried to avoid now. They ran through another hole and they found themselves on a shelf, overlooking the kitchen. Harry could see the cook moving around the kitchen, putting vegetables in a stew that was cooking on the stove. Right below them, on the floor, lay the cook's cat in her basket.

"That is Turtle. We want to steer clear of that one," warned Heathbert.

"Turtle? Oh, the cat. That's a strange name for a cat. It's a slow cat, I hope."

"Don't let the name fool you. She's a swift one. I don't know why they named her that. All I know is that she doesn't fool around. Listen, the cheese is in a cupboard on the that far wall by the stove. We have to go past these jars and climb down from the shelf. From there we'll jump to another shelf that goes straight to the side of that cupboard. Once we get to it, there's a hole that we can go through to get the cheese. Got it?"

"I think so."

"Just follow me and do what I do. Be careful."

Harry's heart was starting to race. He could see Turtle breathing and to him she seemed enormous. What would have been a few easy strides across the kitchen, now seemed so difficult to negotiate. Then things happened very quickly.

The cook had reached up the shelf to get one of the jars. The jar pushed Heathbert to the edge of the shelf. The cook, upon seeing Heathbert, screamed. Turtle jumped up. The cook swatted Heathbert in mid-air. Harry ran to the edge and slipped, falling off the shelf. As Harry was falling, he reached for Heathbert, who then disappeared and reappeared back on the shelf. Harry, forgetting to fly, continued to fall. The cook ran across the room to get a broom and Turtle, confused, ran after her. Harry finally fell into Turtle's basket. He quickly hid under the folds of the blanket in it. By the time the cook and the cat came back, neither Heathbert nor Harry could be seen.

Heathbert was still on the shelf, breathing hard and not knowing exactly what happened. At one point he was falling and suddenly, he was back on the shelf. He knew it must have been Harry that saved him, but where was Harry? Heathbert looked all over the shelf and around every jar. He could not find Harry anywhere. He was hoping that somehow Harry was also able to get himself somewhere safe. He decided to wait on the shelf and see if Harry would turn up.

Harry was afraid for his life. His little heart was beating a million times a minute. He was thinking of how to get away from Turtle. By now, Turtle had settled back down in her basket with Harry underneath her. Harry was in a pinch and saw no way out of it. He then came to his senses and got the courage to act. He jumped out from underneath the cat. The instant the Turtle realized his presence, Harry stopped time. All was still. The cat was amid swatting her paw at Harry with her claws bared. Harry cautiously moved away from Turtle's claws and stood by the wall. He looked up at the shelf and wondered how he was going to be able to get back up there. While he was thinking this, he reached up and started feel himself being squeezed into a tight space. He could hardly breath, but the next moment he was standing beside Heathbert, who was frozen still. Harry made a gesture with his paws and time started once again.

"HARRY! My god are you ok? How did you get here?"

"Whew! For a second there, I didn't think I would. I fell into Turtle's basket and had to figure my way out."

"About that cheese, Harry, I think I've completely lost my appetite. My stomach is still falling!"

"Yeah, me too. I'm also starting to not like cats very much."

"Ha ha ha. That tends to happen when you're a mouse."

"Hey, watch this. I learned how to do it the other day. I was wondering when I'd be able to use it." Harry looked over the shelf at the cat who was still circling around looking for her quarry. He pointed his finger at it and a bolt of electricity shot out from the tip of it. The little lightning bolt hit Turtle's tail and she wailed, running out of the room. Harry and Heathbert hung their feet over the shelf and shared a good laugh.

"Well, what do you think of being a mouse now?"

"It's definitely exciting, but a bit too dangerous. Do you have adventures like this everyday?"

"Nah. This was just for your pleasure."

"Yeah right, my pleasure, huh? I think I've had enough of it for now. Let's get back up to the room and finish off those sandwiches."

"Sure. Let's go."

They clambered back up to the room where Harry transformed back to his normal self. He and Heathbert talked more as the evening drew on. Tom came up to check on Harry around dinner time, but Harry told him he was not hungry. Tom said he heard what sounded like mice squeaking coming from the room. He said that he might have to set some traps in the morning. When Tom left, Harry told Heathbert not to worry and that he'll take care of it.

The following morning Harry got a visit from Hagrid. Hagrid had been visiting him every week just to see if he was doing well. This time Hagrid had some important news for Harry.

"How yeh been doin' Harry?"

"Oh, keeping busy"

"Make any new friends?"

"Well, there's Heathbert. He comes around every once in a while."

"Good to hear it. I guess he's one of the boys that lives close by?"

"Uh … yeah … yes. Yes, he is."

"Harry, I think we may have sorted out where ye'll be livin' from now on. Dumbledore thinks that now that ye're no longer under the protection of yer relatives, we're gonna need a safe place ter put yeh. And there's no safer place than right in the shadow of Hogwarts castle. He said that he knows that barman at the Hog's Head tavern in Hogsmeade and there's room there fer yeh. There'll also be some ministry people posted around the place fer extra protection. O'course we can't have enough for the-boy-who-lived. Now, during the school year, yeh'll be staying at the castle with the rest of the students."

"Ministry? The-boy-who-lived? Um, I'm not sure I completely understand. Why so much protection again? Is this all about the celebrity status I've got around this place?"

"Let's just call it that fer now. It's better that yeh figger it out as yeh go along than fer me ter have ter explain it all at once. Are yeh ready ter start school? It is in less than a couple of weeks you know."

"Yeah, I think I'm ready. I've been talking to my friend Heathbert and he's had a loads of good things to say."

"Good. Ye'll probably be seein' him on the train then when you go. By the way, the ministry is sending an Auror fer yeh to take yeh ter the station. Don't worry, he'll recognize yeh," Hagrid continued looking at Harry's puzzled expression. "He'll probably be better ter explain to yeh what an Auror is, too. Anyway, here's yer ticket and everything else yeh need. I won't be visiting any more since it's getting so close ter the school year. There's a lot of preparations that need ter be made. Next time I see yeh'll be at school."

"Ok, so I guess I'll see you there, then."

"Yeah, well, I have ter get a couple of things from Diagon Alley and head back ter the grounds. So, this is good-bye for now."

"Alright. Good shopping"

With that Hagrid left Harry. Harry was relieved to know that he now had a place to stay. He would never have to go back to the cupboard under the stairs. Even though he was scared, he was still brimming with excitement. It was all so new. So many things to consider that a boy his age would rarely ever have to deal with. But Harry was going to survive; the most powerful wizard of all time would find a way.

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A/N: This one's a tribute to my late cat Turtle. May she rest in peace. She was never very good at catching mice—or anything else for that matter.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: There's a big time jump in this story going from King's Cross station all the way to a point somewhere after chapter 10 of Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone. This note is just to avoid any confusion.

* * *

The day to depart for Hogwarts had finally come. Harry was waiting for the Auror from Ministry to pick him up. Heathbert decided to come along for the ride to King's Cross. They waited and waited, but it seemed like the Auror was never going to come. Much like boys his age, Harry wasn't keen on being patient. He finally decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Maybe I could just fly there?" suggested Harry.

"No, you're sure to be seen and that would cause quite a ruckus with both wizards _and_ muggles," answered Heathbert.

"But we can't wait here forever."

"You could transport yourself there"

"You mean disappear here and reappear there? And what about my stuff?"

"It would probably work for your stuff too, including me of course. Oh, yeah, and that owl," Heathbert said with a shudder. "That owl has been eyeing me ever since we met. Still don't know why you wizards use them. With all the magic, you'd think you could just send a message some other way—some way more mouse-friendly. Anyway, you might want to hold on to all the stuff for good measure."

Harry stuffed Heathbert in his shirt pocket and hung on to his belongings. He concentrated on King's Cross Station and felt the now familiar feeling of being sucked into a tight space and not being able to breath. In a moment, he was there. Harry found a cart and loaded his trunk and Hedwig.

"Are you sure you can't come with me? I really would miss you."

"I would miss you too, but this is as far as I go. London is the place for me. I don't know what I would do so far away from home. I'm not as brave as you are."

"Brave? More like scared out of my trousers. I was just starting to get used to Tom's pub and now I'm on the move again."

"Didn't Hagrid say that you'll be staying at the castle and spending your summers at a place that's not too far from it? Why, it's kinda like you're going home."

"Yeah, a home I don't know and have never seen before."

They walked until they found platforms nine and ten, but could not find nine and three-quarters. Harry asked around, but no one could help him. He was starting to panic when he overheard a plump woman who was with four boys and a little girl talking about muggles.

"Well, looks like you can just follow them. They seem to know where they're going," said Heathbert.

"Right … well … I guess this is good-bye then," Harry replied, trying to suppress the urge to cry, wanting not to embarrass himself in the middle of King's Cross Station. Besides, it would only appear to others that a boy was standing on a train station platform crying to himself with a mouse in his pocket and an owl on a cart.

"Yup. Take care of yourself Harry Potter. I'm sure we'll cross paths again whenever you visit the Leaky Cauldron."

And with that Heathbert jumped out of Harry's pocket and disappeared into some crevice at the base of a wall. Harry pushed his cart to catch up with the plump woman and her children who all had red hair.

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It was a Friday afternoon and the students had time off as usual. Harry and Ron were lazing around by the lake. It was an unusually hot day for this time of year. They had broken off a couple of fronds from a nearby fern and were fanning themselves with them.

Harry was pensive. After all this time, he had still not shown anyone the magic that he was capable of. From his classes thus far, Harry found that the magic he could do was far beyond what he was being taught. He didn't want to be the odd-ball and be singled out anymore than he already was, so he decided to follow along and be a good student.

"But then again, there's potions," Harry thought. "Why do I need to learn Potions, for god's sake? I can do magic for everything I'd ever need a potion for. I can't think of one thing that I couldn't possibly just do myself without having to rely on a stupid potion. That Snape can kiss my magical bum. I should just transfigure him into a flea and see how he likes it!"

Harry, forgetting that he was laying beside Ron, put both hands underneath his head and let the frond fan him by itself. He whistled a tune, summoning a strong breeze to blow on them. Ron bolted, sitting up straight.

"Blimey, did you do that?!" exclaimed Ron.

"Uh … did what?" Harry answered, surprised and a little fearful.

"That! The … the fr—frond thing … and th—the wind!"

"What do you mean?" said Harry, desperately trying to find a way to evade the issue.

"Come off it! There's no one else around and I sure as hell didn't bloody do it, did I?"

"Maybe you did"

"Harry."

"Ok, so I did it. What of it? Are you going to tell everybody now that I'm a freak," Harry's temper started to rise. "Ooh, look at the friggin' famous Harry Potter. Now, he can do amazing magic, too! Unbe-friggin'-leivably brilliant, isn't it? Let's take a picture, shall we?!" Harry yelled, neglecting the possibility that he could be overheard by anyone in the vicinity.

"Look, I'm sorry I got excited, but it is amazing, isn't it? Who ever heard of a first-year doing that stuff? They don't teach nonverbal spells until sixth year."

"Exactly! People will think I'm weird! I'm different enough as it is, with all this 'boy-who-lived' stuff. I don't need anything else keeping me from … well, from being normal!"

"So you've been keeping this all to yourself this whole time just so you can be like everyone else? Is that it? I mean, you could possibly be the most brilliant student in our year—if not all of Hogwarts—and you're just going to keep it all under wraps?"

"Ron, you'd never understand."

"Understand what exactly?"

"Look at you," Harry said downhearted. "You've only seen a couple of tricks and you're all worked up. I just don't want to be a freak. I don't want to be pinched and prodded like I was some weird alien experiment. So please, please don't tell anyone—not one soul, not even Hermione. I really would rather forget that this even ever happened."

"Ok, ok. My lips are sealed, but what if you happen to slip-up again?"

"Well then, you'll just have to help me cover up, won't you?" Harry said with a chuckle.

"So, is there anything else you can do besides controlling the wind and performing wingardium leviosa without saying a word? Er, I guess that was wingardium leviosa, although it did do more than just float. How do you do it?"

"Well, when I do magic, I don't really think of an incantation; I don't think of the words or say it out loud. I just do it. It's hard to explain exactly how. I … well, I … I just think of what I want to do and feel it happening and it does. Kind of like moving my arms or fingers. I don't have to think 'I'm moving my finger now' to move it; I just do it," Harry explained, wiggling his finger. As he did this a tree branch that was hanging down beside Ron was wagging along in time with Harry's finger. Ron sat there astonished. Harry smiled at Ron, amused by Ron's expression.

"Tell you what, watch this," Harry said enthusiastically, now feeling secure in the idea that Ron would keep confidence about his abilities. Harry stood up and motioned for Ron to do the same. Harry put his hand on Ron's shoulder and pulled out his wand. He and raised it above his head and in one swift motion cut the air with it. All of a sudden the sound of insects buzzing around them stopped. The breeze no longer blew. Everything was still. Ron looked around and saw that nothing was moving. Some students who were running up the hill were frozen in place, some of them mid-run. Bees that were flying around close to them had been suspended in midair. Leaves that were being blown around stayed in place as if someone had painted them there.

"How … how?" stammered Ron.

"You like it?"

"Like it? It's brilliant!"

As Ron was talking, Harry climbed the empty space in front of him and floated a few feet above ground. Ron looked on with mouth agape. Harry was alarmed for a moment thinking that he might be seen and sunk down a bit. He realized that he had stopped time and that no one would actually see and he smiled at Ron.

"Blimey!" exclaimed Ron.

Harry motioned to Ron, as if to call him up to where Harry was standing and Ron rose from the ground.

"Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing?!" shouted Ron, taken off guard.

"Taking you for a ride."

Harry flew about thirty feet up and circled the lake with Ron in tow. They looked at the stillness around them, touching the trees as they went. Harry then doubled back towards the castle, weaving around it's turrets and spires. They saw Professor McGonagall in the midst of talking to a sixth-year in her office. They saw students dotting the grounds, all remaining completely still and paused in the middle of their activities. They sighted Hermione in the courtyard reading a book. Harry and Ron set down beside her.

"I don't think I can say the word enough! BRILLIANT! Absolutely Brilliant!" yelled Ron at the top of his lungs. "You do know that there is _no wizard_—at least that I know of—that can fly! Not one! Who needs a broom?! I mean, you are still pretty good on one, great seeker and all. I still can't believe you want to keep this a secret. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep my mouth shut about _this_!"

"RON! You promised!" retorted Harry. "Remember Ron, not a word to anyone!"

"Sure, sure. I'm still not convinced why, though."

"Ok, hold on. I'm going to start everything up again."

"Yeah and let's give Hermione over here a good scare. It'll be good for her."

"Ok. Let's stand on either side of her. Now on the count of three. One … two … three!"

"BOO!" both Ron and Harry shouted at Hermione as Harry started time back up. Hermione jumped up and threw the book she was reading high in the air.

"AAAHHH!" Hermione screamed. "What the … ?!"

The boys were laughing so hard they were clutching their stomachs. "Got you Hermione!"

"Where in the world did you come from?! It's not very nice to give someone a scare like that, especially not when their sitting in peace and reading for an exam! An exam that you two should be studying for as well, mind you," exclaimed Hermione, still very much flustered.

In the mix of the boys' laughter and Hermione's frustration, they didn't notice that Draco Malfoy had approached with Crabbe and Goyle that his sides.

"Mudblood drop her books, did she?" Draco sneered.

Harry quickly turned around and both he and Ron glared at Malfoy angrily.

"Oh, Potter, so you're here, too? Well, we're just having a great little mudblood loving party, aren't we?"

"Shut up and go away, Malfoy" barked Ron.

"Oh, did I offend you Weasley? Why don't you go run to your dad and beg him for some help. You Weasleys are used to begging anyway."

Harry's anger rose up from within him. He couldn't stop himself. Harry took his wand and twisted it in the air, as if wrenching someone's arm out of it's socket. Malfoy doubled over in pain, but could not speak. Crabbe and Goyle took step back. Malfoy continued to squirm and writhe on the ground.

"Harry stop! Please, Harry!" pleaded Hermione.

Harry came to his senses and stopped at once. He felt both victorious and guilty at the same time. He had never used his abilities to hurt anyone, but he figured that Malfoy gave him a good enough excuse to do so. Malfoy got up, groaning and still in obvious pain, and ran away. Hermione quickly grabbed Harry and Ron by their robes and dragged them to a hallway where there would be no one to overhear them.

"Harry! That was stupid of you to do!" rounded Hermione

"I know, but I couldn't help it. I'm tired of that foul-mouthed idiot! He got what he deserved"

"Since when do you know how to do spells like that anyway? A nonverbal one and an unforgivable curse at that!"

"Unforgivable? What is that supposed to mean?"

"You just performed what I think was the Cruciatus Curse! I've read about it in an advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. You mean to tell me you didn't even know what you did?"

"Harry didn't even say anything! How did you know it was that curse? How did you know he was the one that did it at all? Maybe I did!" interrupted Ron, trying to keep to his promise and doing his best to cover for Harry.

"Ron, let's be serious. I was there and I saw Harry use his wand," retorted Hermione.

It suddenly occurred to Harry that he had performed magic out in the open for everyone to see. "Hermione, do you think anybody else saw what happened?"

"Well, it didn't seem like anybody else noticed. It helped that Malfoy couldn't scream out loud—but that is beside the point!"

"Listen, it's just a spell that Ron and I happened upon in the library. It's no big deal. I promise not to do it again, ok?"

"I'm not sure I can even believe that the two of you would be hanging out at the library, but I guess you must've learned it from somewhere. I'm surprised that you could even work a spell at all considering how you've been doing in class" Hermione answered in a know-it-all kind of way.

"Oi!"

"Anyway, it is an unforgivable curse and you dare not use it again."

"Right, Hermione," both Ron and Harry said with a "yes, mother" sort of tone.

Out of nowhere, Snape came marching towards them. "Potter! I heard from Draco that you cast a spell on him that made him ache unbearably all over. I cannot bring myself to believe that you could possibly cast such a spell—or any that would actually amount to much, for that matter. However, for causing a disturbance I'm taking fifty points from Gryffindor," Snape said curtly and briskly turned around and walked away.

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Harry lay in bed thinking about the events of the past day. He was glad that he finally had someone with whom to share his secret. It was fun flying around with Ron and seeing the wonder in Ron's face. Harry wondered what other secret adventures they might have together. He also thought about the Cruciatus Curse. When he cursed Malfoy he felt a distinct power that was coursing through him. It was something that he had only felt when he transfigured the Durselys. Something about his anger made his magic more potent. It intrigued him, but scared him at the same time. He thought about Hermione and she having witnessed him exercise his abilities. Knowing Hermione, he hoped that she would not talk about the incident with anyone, but at the same time he knew that Hermione would likely not easily forget about it. It annoyed Harry that Snape hated him so much as not to attribute him any competence whatsoever, but still found a way to punish him somehow. In all, though, it was a great day. Harry hoped that he could share more days like this one with Ron.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ok, this one is really short, almost drabble-like. It's only about 750 words. The thing is I'm getting tired of Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone just wanted to finish with it. I'll likely add a chapter on the summer after, then take a break to research the following book for more material.

It appears that Harry is not carrying his wand during his encounter with Quirrell, so I nixed it for the story.

In this story, I have followed the style of the book in using italics to differentiate thought versus speech.

* * *

The man he followed was … _Quirrell_? _Where was Snape?_ Harry thought in confusion, _After all this time it was Quirrell all along? How could that be? Does that mean t hat Snape is innocent?_

"Yes, Harry Potter, it was I," Quirrell hissed, no longer having a stutter or a twitch. "I was the one who tried to kill you at the Quidditch match. Unfortunately, Snape was smart enough to mutter a counter-curse. I _will_ kill you tonight!"

Quirrell snapped his fingers and a rope appeared out of nowhere and flew towards Harry. Harry raised his hand and the rope fell to the ground before it could reach him. Harry was tired of all the pretense. After going through an entire school year pretending to be less than he really was, Harry could no longer hold it all in. Ron and Hermoine had helped him through several obstacles, but now he was facing the enemy all alone and there was nothing to hold him back.

"You are mistaken. I won't be the one to die this evening," said Harry confidently.

"What?! What are you playing at, boy?" Quirrell said in surprise. There was a little tremble in his voice.

"You are not the only one who has been keeping secrets." Harry pointed at Quirrell and he collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Harry walked over to what looked like the Mirror of Erised. _I need to get the stone away from here_, Harry thought. _Quirrell was searching the mirror when I came in, so it must be somewhere around it, but where?_ Harry peered into the mirror and saw himself. His reflection was holding the stone and was smiling. It took the stone an placed it in it's pocket. Harry suddenly felt a weight fall into his own pocket. He reached in and pulled out the Sorcerer's Stone!

As Harry turned around he saw that Quirrell was coming to. "You'll never get the stone," Harry said.

"You have failed me again!" came a shrill ethereal voice.

Harry looked around, but there was no one else in the room. He saw that Quirrell was unwrapping his turban.

"I want to face him! Let him see his true enemy!" shouted the voice.

Quirrell turned around and there, on the back of Quirrell's head, was a snake-like face with ruby red eyes. It was the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. Harry was stunned.

"Yes, it is I, Lord Voldemort! I, the one who killed your parents eleven years ago, am the one who will now snuff your life. Give me the stone! Quirrell, kill the boy!"

"But, master!"

"Kill him!"

Before Harry could react, Quirrell lunged for him choking him with both hands. However, Quirrell screamed, "My hands! Master, my hands … my hands are burning!"

"Kill him!" Voldemort screeched.

Harry was struggling and as Quirrell loosened his grip, Harry raised his hands and magically thrust Quirrell high into the air. Quirrell hit the ceiling with a thud. Harry then made a circular motion with his arm and Quirrell spun around the room over and over. As Quirrell was spinning around, Harry ignited him and Quirrell burst into flame. Not wanting to kill him, Harry threw him back down to the ground and doused him out.

"Master, help me!" yelled Quirrell.

"You are weak, Quirrell! If only I were already restored, I would finish you off Potter! You have shown that you have learned quite a bit, but you cannot equal my greatness! Perhaps, I will show mercy if you were to join me. Replace Quirrell, become my servant and let me inhabit your body! I can use your power. I can make you great. All will fear and bow to you!"

"You are raving mad! I would never be your … your … whatever it is that you have made Quirrell into." Harry walked over to the charred Quirrell "… and I will not allow Quirrell to serve you any longer." Harry reached for Quirrell's head. He made a gesture, pulling Quirrells memories and sanity out of him mind. Quirrell then sat there with a blank stare, drooling on the floor.

"Harry, are you alright?!" came Dumbledore's voice from the doorway.

As Harry turned around to answer, he slipped on Quirrell's silk turban wrappings and fell to the floor, hitting his head hard. His eyes briefly saw Dumbledore racing down the steps when he drifted into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

Before Harry was completely knocked out, he felt the stone slip out of his pocket. He heard Voldemort cackling as things went black. Harry fell, slipping underneath the drooling Quirrell. As Harry's body touched him, Quirrell yelped, still feeling a burning sting from contact with Harry.

Dumbledore bounded into the room, just in time to find what looked like Quirrell assaulting Harry while Harry was lying unconscious on the ground. Dumbledore quickly pulls Quirrell off of Harry, worried that Harry may be dead. He is relieved to find that Harry appears to have only passed out from what seemed to have been a difficult battle.

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_Hi Harry,_

_Hope you are doing well there. Must not be that much_

_fun staying all alone and so close to school at that. Blimey,_

_I don't know what I'd do if I were you. Then again, you've_

_got the place all to yourself and can do all that stuff you showed_

_me. I guess you could even fly to my place. Wait … sorry, I_

_forgot that you can't do that over the holidays. Maybe you could_

_just fly here on your broom? Well, we'll figure out a way, mate._

_Hope to hear from you soon,_

_Ron_

_Hey Ron,_

_Yeah, not being able to do magic during the holidays is a bummer._

_I wish I could just get there. Didn't those sixth-years call it apparition?_

_Well, that's what I would have done. You know, I'm glad that _

_Dumbledore didn't see what I did when I faced Quirrell all by_

_myself. He'd probably understand, but I'm not sure if he'd trust_

_that I wouldn't do anything bad. Only you and Hermione know and_

_I don't want it to get any further than that. Hermione is really_

_smart and I hope that she'll be smart enough to understand the _

_reason why I don't want people to know about the things I can do._

_Thanks for keeping your word, Ron. I hope you can figure out a way to_

_get me. I'm not looking forward to spending all summer by myself._

_Your friend,_

_Harry_

_P.S. The broom idea sounds great, but Aberforth, the barman, says the_

_Ministry guys watching over me would never have it. There's _

_something familiar about Aberforth, but I can't put my finger on it._

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Harry didn't receive a letter back from Ron. In fact, it had been several days and it appeared that neither Ron nor Hermione were interested in writing him. He had written them several notes, but did not get any responses. Harry was beginning to think that his friends had forgotten about him altogether.

Harry sat at the bar eating his breakfast and reading the note that was given at the end of school warning them against using magic over the holidays.

"I just don't get it Aberforth," sighed Harry.

"What's that?" asked Aberforth, not knowing to what Harry was referring.

"Oh, this note. It says that we're not able to use magic outside of school, but how are we to practice what we've learned if we can't do magic? Besides, I know loads of people that did magic before coming to Hogwarts and no one got in trouble for it. Hermione, this girl I know, even said while we were on the train _going to_ school that she tried a lot of the spells from our books already. She didn't get in trouble for _that_." Harry was careful not to use himself as an example.

Aberforth looked at him while wiping a clean mug. "Well, Harry, there are some rules that nobody understands, but that's what the Ministry of Magic is for: to make rules that don't really have good reason. This one, I think is just to keep you kids out of trouble. As for doing magic before Hogwarts, they just overlook that stuff."

"I guess your right, but it makes things really boring around here."

Aberforth looked around the room, careful not to be overheard by any of his other customers or the Aurors stationed there to watch Harry. He tapped Harry on the shoulder and motioned to Harry to follow him. Aberforth led Harry up the stairs to the second floor landing.

"Come up here and be quick about it," whispered Aberforth.

"Why? What for?" whispered back Harry.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this, but staying cooped up in here is no way for an eleven year old to spend his summer holidays. You might have noticed this already. Around tea-time, there is a change of shifts for the Auror's who are guarding this place. During that time, you can sneak out and I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, but I have a stupid question. Where am I supposed to go? I mean, Hogsmeade isn't that big of a town and everything else—except for Hogwarts—is miles away."

"Well, that's the downside, isn't it. You'll only be able to go to the school grounds, but you'll at least be able to stretch your legs. Just don't let any of the professors see you."

"Yeah, I guess it's better than nothing."

"Here's another bit. You know the Trace, the thing they use to keep track of underage wizards using magic? Well, it doesn't work on the school grounds or in the Forbidden Forrest—but I doubt you'll be going there … the forest, I mean. So, you'll be able to practice magic to your hearts content. But I warn you again: don't let anyone see you—especially not anyone at the castle."

"… not anyone at the castle, got it."

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For several weeks Aberforth helped Harry escape to the Hogwarts grounds every once in awhile. For a time, Harry would feign some sort of illness and Aberforth would pretend to bring him dinner to his room. Soon, this became too obvious a cover up and they resorted to having Harry run false errands for Aberforth. Once Harry got to certain distance, he would use his father's Invisibility Cloak to head up to the school. He always kept a watchful eye and made sure that he was not easily seen by anyone at the castle and had his Invisibility Cloak within easy reach inside his backpack just in case he saw anyone coming close.

Harry would spend these summer evenings when he was gallivanting about doing various things to entertain himself—at least as much as one can do with so much restriction. There was one evening when he decided to see how fast he could apparate, so he apparated from one point to another, and another, and another until he had zigzagged all over the grounds and made himself quite dizzy. At another time, he was playing with magical fire and was able to envelope his entire body in flames. Unfortunately, his clothes were burned up and he had to go back home completely naked. One particularly hot day, he was skinny-dipping when Professor Pomona Sprout came by to collect some plant samples by the lake. Harry's backpack was out of reach, so he hastily transfigured himself into a frog. He was then easily spotted by a particularly large fish-like creature who thought Harry might make a good meal. Harry jumped out of the water just in time to avoid the creature's ravenous jaws. All these hijinks were making for good story-telling material for Harry's letters to Ron—that is, if Ron even cared. Harry had still not heard from Ron nor Hermione in weeks.

Harry was walking around the lake one evening thinking to himself, _I don't get why they haven't written me back. As if it wasn't lonely enough being here all by myself with nobody but Aberforth and some ministry people to talk to—and I guess there's Hedwig, but she pretty much keeps to herself. Most of the stores in Hogsmeade have closed for the summer holidays and there's really not much to do. I'm getting tired of just coming here to the grounds. What good is playing with magic if there's no one else around? It really gets dull after a while. I mean, how many times can one change himself into other animals and insects … or charm ants to battle each other … or make storm clouds form into food shapes—although, it was pretty funny when I struck unsuspecting Snape with a bolt of lightning. That teaches him to come out for some fresh air. I guess the dungeon was getting too stuffy. _Harry breathed a heavy sigh. _And on top of everything else, it's my birthday and everything stinks as usual. I at least thought that Ron and Hermione would owl some greetings or something, but nothing … nothing at all—guess I'm used to it._

_Hey, I know what! _thought harry, with a sudden burst of inspiration, _I bet I can get Heathbert to come to me … summon the little bugger! _Harry closed his eyes and held out his palm. He thought of Heathbert and imagined feeling Heathbert's little body on the palm of his hand. Harry heard a small crack, like a tiny firecracker and found Heathbert in his palm, looking like he was reaching for something.

"Hey! What the?! Wh … where's my biscuit?!"

Harry was beside himself with laughter. "Hello Heathbert!"

"Harry?!"

"Yup, it's me."

"Did I slip and knock my head on something? Am I dreaming? Gosh, I hope I'm not dead."

Harry was trying to keep a straight face now, realizing that Heathbert may not take it too well that it was he that kept Heathbert from a coveted biscuit. "No, no. You're not dead. I um … well, I … I summoned you here. I pulled you from where you were and brought you here with me. I'm sorry I caught you when you were just about to have a biscuit. I didn't mean to inconvenience you. I was just lonely—nothing new—and I missed you. I haven't seen you in ages and I've got loads to tell. "

"Heh heh … I guess you can make it up to me later. You gave me a start, though. Where are we anyway.

"We're at the grounds of Hogwarts. It's really the only place I can do magic until the term starts again. We're not allowed to do magic outside of school," Harry explained.

"Oh, so this is what Hogwarts looks like. Do they have good food?"

"Yes, they do, but I can't go _in_ the castle. No one is supposed to know I'm here. I'm supposed to be at the Hog's Head tavern, keeping myself out of trouble."

"… and trouble is exactly what you're out looking for," Heathbert chuckled. "I wouldn't have done it any differently … using magic when you're not supposed to and sneaking away. Sounds like you left a good bit of mouse in you when you changed yourself back to a human. By the way, Turtle still goes bonkers every time she hears lightning."

"Glad to hear it. She deserved a good licking after she tried to swipe me dead."

"That was a ton of fun we had," Heathbert said reminiscently. "You're one human I really did miss seeing—not to mention talking to. Then again, you are the only human I've ever talked to. So, what have you been up to all this time?"

Harry recounted all of his adventures at school. Enthusiastically, Harry explained that he now had several friends, the closest of whom were Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Heathbert was very interested to hear about the food that magically appears at the Great Hall. Harry told him about Draco Malfoy and how he tried to get Harry and his friends expelled. He informed Heathbert of all the magic he's learned that he could do so far. Heathbert gasped and cheered at Harry's story of how he encountered Quirrell and Lord Voldemort.

"That's amazing! You certainly have been busy since we last saw each other. I'm happy to hear that you've made friends. I told you that you would. I'm also glad that two of them know about your secret. Makes life much easier on you."

"Yeah, but my friends haven't been writing me. I was able to get a letter a beginning of the summer, but I haven't gotten any posts since. I'm worried that they've just forgotten about me."

"Don't worry about that. Maybe they're just busy doing stuff at home? Maybe they're on vacation? You never know. Sometimes people just get too busy in the hustle and bustle of things."

"I guess."

Seeing the downturn of the conversation, Heathbert piped up, "So, have you any adventures planned for _us_? Being a courageous mouse myself, I would hate to get left out of all the fun!"

"Um … sadly, there's really not much to do around here. That's why I brought you. I just wanted some company on my birthday."

"Your birthday?! We've been talking all this time and you're only now telling me it's your birthday?!"

"Yeah, well, it's only now come up."

"'Yeah, well' nothin'. I'm glad that you … er, summoned me. I would not have wanted to miss the birthday of my good friend Harry. Now if I only had that biscuit, I could have given it to you as a gift. But seeing as I am biscuit-less, we have to find some alternative, don't we?"

"I'm glad for the sentiment, Bert, but it's ok. Your company is good enough."

"Well, we can at least celebrate by embarking on some great adventure. There has to be _something_ we can do. I'm sure we're missing something."

"The only other thing around here that I haven't looked at is the Forbidden Forrest—and that's … well, forbidden."

"The kitchen at the Leaky Cauldron is forbidden—at least to mice—but that didn't stop us, did it?"

"I guess you have a point."

"Of course I do! I'm the voice of reason remember—good advice from the mouse, right? So, what's the fastest way we can get there?"

"It's not very far. It's only on the other side of the castle, but I can apparate us right in the middle of it. That would be the fastest way."

Harry and Heathbert apparate deep into the Forbidden Forest. It's much darker in it, where the trees are dense and old. The lack of light makes it seem like it is the dead of night. They notice that the air is stuffy and hard to breath. Harry set three balls of light spinning around him to light their way. They walked a little ways and could hear shouting coming from the direction of some ancient-looking stone structures on a hill up ahead.

"I am _Excorrigiare_, once a great Warloghe and now the Liche of these ruins," growled a menacing voice. "Neither man nor beast shall molest my resting place. _Sage_ centaur as you may be, you shall still incur my wrath!"

"You aberration! You have broken the natural order of life when you transformed your body thus. You are not wanted here. It is time to cleanse these ruins!" yelled back another.

Upon hearing the frightening diatribe, Heathbert speedily jumped to Harry's pocket and stuffed himself in. Harry ran up the hill and found a horned, long-bearded centaur aiming an arrow tipped with a green flame at a man wearing a black shroud. The centaur let the arrow fly at the man who called himself Excorrigiare, but the arrow only disappeared into the folds of the man's robe, causing no reaction from the man except a slight chortle. The Liche raised his hands towards the centaur and small magical spikes erupted from them, shooting at the centaur. The spikes hurtled through the air and found their mark, piercing the centaur's body. Bleeding, the centaur drew a staff that was strapped to it's back and began to recite an incantation.

"Let all fowl things be swallowed up! Let nature strengthen it's grasp! _Garuowan!_" and enchanted vines sprang up from the ground wrapped themselves around the Liche.

"What is this?! Stop! It is crushing the life out of my bones! Noooo! Get these things off me! _Relashio!_" The vines stopped growing around the Liche, but they did not let go and he fell to the ground. "_Summonere Daimonio_," Excorrigiare muttered and the space in front of him seemed to tear open. Out of it stepped an evil-looking creature. It was eyeless, had four arms, claws in each hand, horns on its head and spine. It looked like it as dripping with tar. Harry had never seen anything as hideous. The Liche gave it commands—which sounded to Harry like he was speaking while eating rocks—and the creature advanced on the centaur.

Harry didn't know what came over him, but at that moment he jumped in the creature's way. He made an effort to freeze time, but the creature continued to move towards him. The creature seemed to smile at him baring very toothy grin, it's teeth razor sharp. Harry clapped his hands and a powerful force hit the creature. It was violently thrown back into the rift from which it came. Harry concentrated on the dimensional tear and sealed it back up. By this time, Excorrigiare had gotten back up and was able to free himself from the enchanted vines that held him. Out of the folds of his robe he pulled out a small morning star, the ball of which had a faint reddish glow. The Liche flailed the weapon above his head and ran towards Harry. With a grunt, he smashed the morning star on Harry, but Harry reflexes were quick. Harry formed a magical barrier that covered himself and the centaur.

"Who are you, child, and why do you interfere? You shall meet the same fate as this foolish centaur," stated the Liche, glaring at Harry intensely. Excorrigiare gathered himself up to his full stature, appearing to focus all of his impetus and shouted, "_ANNIHILARE!_"

Harry felt the barrier dissolve. It seemed as if he too was dissolving. He started to panic, not knowing how to defend himself against the powerful Liche, but he was not about to give up. He squared his shoulders, clenched his fists, and screamed, "No! I'm not letting you do this!" Harry thrust his hands and a ball of flame erupted towards the Liche and bludgeoned Excorrigiare with its strength. Excorrigiare was thrown into a stone column which collapsed at the impact. The Liche crumpled to the ground. Harry tightly clenched his hands again and Excorrigiare was crushed into a magical sphere. The sphere shrank until it disappeared completely.

Harry was exhausted. Fighting Quirrell was nothing compared to this. He turned and stepped towards the centaur. He could see that the centaur was breathing hard and bleeding profusely. Harry reached out to him, intending to heal his wounds.

"Stop, Harry Potter. You need not try to restore me. This is the way I am to die," said the centaur, gasping for breath.

"How do you know me? Who are you?"

"Eidos is my name. I know you because I have had visions of you and of this moment. There are many things about you that I know. For one, I know that your blood is potent with the weight of a great ascendancy, though it may be tainted—at least, for now," the centaur said, his breathing getting harding now. "You will also be constantly tested for your affection for good or evil. I hope you choose well," he spoke, his voice trailing to a whisper. "My thanks for your courageous intervention. Fare thee well, Harry Potter." With that, Eidos breathed his last and fell limp.

Heathbert poked his head out of Harry's pocket and nervously said, "Boy, I wonder what all that was that he was talking about. It sounded like riddles to me. Are you ok, Harry?"

"I think I'm fine," said Harry panting. "I guess I got my birthday adventure. I can't believe I just faced a Liche—er, at least that's what he said he was … and that demon, gee, whoa … I mean, whew," Harry added, at a loss for words about his experience.

Harry looked around the scene one more time, shaking his head, and apparated to the edge of the grounds by the route to Hogsmeade. Still somewhat stunned, Harry almost forgot about Heathbert. He poked his pocket and Heathbert jumped out.

"That was quite a ride, Harry," said Heathbert.

"Yeah, I'd say."

"I guess it's time for me to be getting home"

"Getting home? You mean you don't want to stay with me?"

"I really need to be getting back. This really isn't the place for me. I'm a city mouse and all this space gives me the heebie-jeebies. Besides, whenever you need me, just bring me over. Now, I hope you can get me back."

"Yeah, sure I can. Well, I'll miss you."

"Remember, it doesn't take much to get me here."

"Ok. Are you ready? Where do you want to go?"

"Just set me at the Leaky Cauldron, in your old room"

And just like that, Harry unsummoned Heathbert. Harry's head was swimming from the recent events. He blankly went through the motions of pulling is Invisibility Cloak out of his backpack, throwing it over himself, and walking towards Hog's Head tavern. Once he was close enough to see the tavern, he realized that he could see the lights on inside. Dread started to fill Harry as it dawned on him that it was late into the night. Harry's gait quickened, his heart thumping hard in his chest. There were several Aurors walking around the little town obviously on high alert and looking for him. As stealthy as Harry could be, he snuck into the tavern.

"I swear I don't know where he's got to," said Aberforth to Jack, one of the higher ranking Aurors stationed at Hogsmeade to guard Harry.

"Tell me again—when was the last time you saw him?" asked Jack, eyeing Aberforth suspiciously.

Harry hated that he had gotten Aberforth in such a pinch. Harry eased his way towards the steps. He was almost to the bottom stair when he bumped into Aberforth. Aberforth looked down at the space where Harry was and shook his head knowingly. Harry continued around him and crept up the steps, making his way to his room. Once there, he pulled off the invisibility cloak and turned on the lights. Harry became conscious of his mistake as soon as he made it. As quickly as the lights came on, Jack was in the doorway.

"Where have you been Harry? We've been looking all over for you," Jack stated, overwhelming Harry with his presence.

"I … uh …I …er,uh …"

"Harry, I know it's your birthday, but that is no reason to be gallivanting about. You don't know that possible dangers that you could get yourself into. Besides, we had a party planned for you and everything, but that's all ruined now. Do you know how much you've botched things up?"

"I … I …"

"Young man, you are sequestered to this room until school starts. No more hijinks. You hear me? I'm sorry to sound so parental, but you leave me no choice, Harry." Jack turned and closed the door behind him.

Harry jumped on the bed and thought about the predicament he was in. His living arrangements weren't ideal, but now it was terrible.


	7. Chapter 7

Living at Hog's Head wasn't the best. The floors were so dirty you couldn't even tell if there was one, or if it was just bare dirt. The first floor was a shoddy bar filled with rickety wooden tables strewn about adorned only with candle stubs. Harry's room was just as poorly furnished. It contained one old dresser, the doors of which were threatening to pop-off at any moment; a wobbly table and a three-legged stool; a bedside table with a lamp on it that did not even have a shade; and a bed that smelled like a wet dog. There was one window that looked out to the adjacent wall of another building.

The tavern's patrons were just at shady as the place looked. It was not the type of place for a twelve-year old boy to be living. However, things had become much tamer since Harry's stay. The presence of Aurors certainly had much to do with it. They made sure that Harry was safe. In fact, it was a little too safe for Harry's liking.

Harry's freedom was limited. He was only allowed to walk around the immediate vicinity of Hog's Head. While this meant that he could peruse the shops in Hogsmeade, he could not go outside of the town at all. The Aurors were constantly in and around the tavern, watching over Harry. Of these, there was one that was a permanent fixture and that was Jack. He was the highest ranking of the Aurors stationed there to keep an eye on Harry. Jack was mostly aloof, never staying long enough in one place to keep a good conversation. His communication with Harry consisted mostly of terse one-liners such as, "I hope you had a good night's sleep" and "keep your nose out of trouble."

This night Jack said that most he has ever had to Harry. Unfortunately, it was only to berate Harry for having gone missing and breaking curfew. Jack authoritatively terminated Harry's meager freedoms in order to curtail any more mischief, leaving him isolated to his room. While his living situation was tolerable before, now it was terrible. Harry lay in bed, contemplating his bleak predicament. He thought that maybe he could still keep his routine of sneaking off to the Hogwarts grounds with the use of his Invisibility Cloak, but dismissed the idea because he didn't want to get Aberforth into anymore messes with Jack.

All of a sudden, Harry was startled by a loud cracking noise and bolted up straight. Out of nowhere appeared a bat-eared, bulgy-eyed little creature. The creature gave him a low bow.

"Wha … who … what _are_ you?" Harry said in said in fright, thinking this might be some sort of demon like the one the Liche had summoned in the Forbidden Forrest.

"Need not fear, sir. I am a house-elf. The name is Dobby, sir—Dobby the house-elf."

"So, you're not a demon from another dimension," Harry sighed in relief, "but what are you doing in my room? Are you something Jack … er …," Harry quickly redoubled, thinking a polite house-elf probably wouldn't appreciate being referred to an an object, "… did Jack send you to babysit me?"

"No, sir. Dobby was not sent by Jack. Although, it was fortuitous that Auror Jack has confined Harry Potter to his room. Harry Potter is in great danger."

"Great danger? All I did was miss curfew," Harry was careful not to mention his escapade in the Forbidden Forrest.

"This is not about the events of this evening, sir. There is a plot, sir, to make horrible things to happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year. Harry Potter must not go back.

"Are you nutters?! I'm going crazy here. I'm like a caged animal. I can't even so much as sneeze without the ministry's minions handing me a hanky. I _need_ to go back to school! I _need_ to see my friends!"

"Good friends that don't even write to Harry Potter, sir?"

"I'm sure there's a good explan—wait, how did you know they haven't written?"

"It was for Harry Potter's own good, sir. Please do not be angry. Dobby thought that if Harry Potter thought that his friends were not writing him, that Harry Potter would not want to go back to school."

"You—you've been keeping my friend's letters?!

"Don't be mad at Dobby, sir. It was only for Harry Potter's sake … and I am sorry I have to do this, sir. It is for your benefit. Harry Potter must not go back to school," with that, Dobby raised a long finger at Harry and magically lifted him from the ground and thrust him out the bedroom window.

Harry was in total bewilderment. He crashed through the class and was hurtling head-long down towards a steeply sloping, rocky hill. Before he could hit the ground, Harry immediately stopped himself from falling and hovered in mid-air. He gently stepped back onto the ground and was instantly surrounded by Aurors, headed-up by Jack.

"Are you ok, Harry?!—What were you thinking?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! I can't believe you were trying to sneak away like that. Tomorrow, you will be taken to a safe-house where you can't get into anymore trouble … and trouble won't be coming after you, either!"

"But it wasn't me!" argued Harry, "It was this elf—this house-elf—he pushed me out the window! I wasn't trying to escape! You've got to believe me!"

"Not another word. I am up to here with your behavior," Jack said, waving his hand high above his head. "Now, go back up to that room and stay there until I can finish with arrangements to ship you out of here!"

Harry stomped back into the tavern with clenched fists and teeth, muttering swear words all the way up to his room. He swung the door open and saw the shattered window from which he had just fallen. There was no sign of Dobby. Harry sat down on the three-legged stool. He couldn't believe what had happened. He didn't know what to think. Harry felt like his brain was throbbing and was about to explode from the pressure. At that moment, a large owl flew in through the gaping window, deposited a letter on the table in front to him, and flew back out. Harry opened the letter, hoping that Dobby had finally let one of his friends' letters through.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We have received intelligence that you performed a Levitation Charm at a quarter to midnight this evening. _

_As you have been informed, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C)._

_Enjoy your holidays!_

_Yours truly,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Improper Use of Magic Office_

_Ministry of Magic_

"Yeah, what else can go wrong? The can expel me if they want to. I'm going to be taken to a safe house _anyway_" Harry grumbled to himself. "I think I'll just apparate to London and get away from this—"

"Harry!" Ron shouted from the window.

"R … Ron?!"

"Yeah, it's me! You haven't been writing and we were worried about you. We came to get you out of here!"

"How did you get here?"

"We borrowed my dad's car," Ron said, pointing to the flying vehicle behind him.

"Er … ok," Harry hesitated, thinking about Jack, "Hurry and come and help me with my stuff! The Aurors will be up here soon."

Harry and Ron quickly grabbed Harry's belongings and shoved them into the car. Harry saw that in the front seats were Fred and George.

"Hi Harry!" they both greeted

As they were about to speed off, Harry saw Jack burst in to his room.

"HARRY POTTER!" Jack yelled, his voice trailing as the car leapt upwards.

* * *

A/N: I know, I totally mangled chapter 2 of Chamber of Secrets, but I had to keep my story going. It's a challenge trying to adhere to the main points of the canon.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry about the wait for this update. I have been working on my book and had gotten on a roll. I wanted to give an update, but couldn't stay away from my book too long.

After doing a little bit of research on Chamber of Secrets, I found that there is not much opportunity to make insertions, because the Golden Trio is always doing something. I was sort of excited to write on the duel between Draco and Harry, but the whole event is in front of the school, preventing much "out of the ordinary" action. My version of Harry would simply have done what is said in the book in order to keep his secret safe.

I'm kind of doing a shotgun approach for CoS. These will be short disjointed scenes that _transition_ to the book's climactic ending. I'm kind of just tying up some loose ends. Hope you all are not too upset with me.

* * *

"Did the car steer ok?—er, that was wrong, boys. You shouldn't have," Mr. Weasley said, back pedaling as quick as he could and hoping that his wife wouldn't hex him.

"Arthur! You're worse than the boys!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"C'mon, lets get out of here while they're distracted," whispered Ron to Harry.

Just as they were about to sneak off, there was a loud knock on the door. Every one in the room jumped. Mr. Weasley, still in a panic to escape his wife's tirade, hastily opened the door. There stood Jack, with a look of consternation.

"Mr. Weasley my name is Jack … Jack Keighley. I am the commanding Auror guarding Harry Potter" the man in the doorway said firmly. Jack, without waiting for Mr. Weasley's response, added, "Harry Potter ran away from Hogsmeade last night, taken in a flying car that we have traced back to your home. I believe your children were accomplices. _Is_ Mr. Potter here?"

"I … uh … well, yes … yes he is," stuttered Mr. Weasley, taken aback.

"Then I must retrieve him. It is urgent that he be brought back under the care of the Ministry."

Harry wanted to run off, but had nowhere to go. He figured Jack would find him wherever he went. It was hopeless. Harry watched Jack intently, waiting with bated breath for what would happen next.

"I guess so, but Harry is in good hands as it stands. Can he not just stay here until the term ends?"

Harry focused on Jack, hoping willing him to agree with Mr. Weasley. He wanted Jack to just go away and leave him be.

A dumb look came over Jack. "Uh … it's fine Mr. Weasley, Harry can stay here. It would be a great help to have him under your roof. I apologize if I was rude. It's just that I'm really concerned for Harry. I'll report that I have given him to your care for the moment. Have a good day." Jack turned away from the door way and disapparated with a crack.

Mr. Weasley stood there stunned. He looked around to Mrs. Weasley shrugging his shoulders. Mrs. Weasley shrugged back.

"That was certainly very odd," said Mr. Weasly closing the door.

"I know they only mean to keep Harry out of danger, but they're strangling the life out of the boy," said Mrs. Weasley.

The boys ran upstairs as soon as Mr. Weasley closed the door.

"Wow, that was close," said Ron. "I thought for sure that he'd drag you kicking and screaming out of here."

"If he tried, I would have, but I made sure he didn't"

"You mean you messed with him?"

"Well, let's just say I persuaded him with my eyes," Harry chortled.

Ron laughed back, "You are brilliant, mate! I just hope you don't get a citation for performing magic."

"Oh, I was afraid of that too, _so_ our friend Jack is going to be making an excuse for me with Mafalda Hopkirk. It should be fine."

"Like I said, bril—" a door slammed shut ahead of them, "—Ginny, usually she can't stop talking about you. Don't know why she's being so shy all of a sudden."

* * *

"_Look_ at _all_ the attention the _famous_ Harry Potter is getting. Isn't that _nice_," sneered Draco Malfoy.

"Leave him alone! Harry doesn't need all the attention. He didn't want all that!" Ginny said defending Harry. It was the first time she'd talked in Harry's presence.

"A new _girlfriend_, Potter? Isn't that sweet," said Malfoy, making faces.

"Bug away, Malfoy. Remember the agony I put you in? I can do that to you right here and you'll be licking your own drool off the floor," Harry warned.

"You don't scare me, Potter," Malfoy said, his voice cracking. "That was some seventh year pulling a prank. Snape told me that you would even know how to do something like that. It wasn't you!" Malfoy added, shaking a little. Ginny couldn't help but chuckle at Malfoy's reaction to Harry. Harry looked sideways at her and winked. Ginny turned bright red at Harry's gesture as Ron and Hermione rushed over.

"Malfoy," Ron said through gritted teeth.

"Poor little Weasley. How are you going to pay for all your books? Your family will likely go hungry for months trying to get you your school stuff," said Malfoy turning to Ron. Hermione struggled to hold Ron back.

Harry formed his hand as if he had it around Malfoy's skinny neck, crushing it, though keeping his arms at his sides.

"Urgh … grgl…" Malfoy suddenly gurgled and rasped, grabbing the air around his neck, trying to remove whatever was strangling him in vain.

"Ron!" yelled Mr. Weasley rushing over with Fred and George in tow. Harry quickly let go of Malfoy's windpipe, making Malfoy gasp for fresh air.

"What are you doing? The crowd is too thick in here, boys. Let's go outside," Mr. Weasley said trying to abate the fight that looked imminent.

"Arthur Weasley," sneered Lucius Malfoy, coldly looking Mr. Weasley over.

* * *

"Come on fang!" Harry yelled, calling the large dog as they entered the forest. Harry caused three balls of soft light to slowly spin in a circle around them to light their way.

"Blimey! Since when could you do _that_?" asked Ron.

"The last time I was here, I was able to figure it out. We really haven't had much time to talk about it considering all that's been happening, but I've managed to learn loads of stuff."

"I wish you could've done a little of that to Malfoy during at the Dueling Club."

"Yeah, but I couldn't do it while everyone was around, could I?"

"I guess so. Hey, since we're in here, do you think you could show me the ruins where you faced that Liche? By the way, I asked Hermione and I Liche is an wizard that cast a spell on him so he wouldn't die—but his body still decays. Eeww!" Ron shuddered at the thought.

"I don't think I could find the place again, Ron. I kind of apparated without knowing where exactly I was going. It seemed like I was just deep inside the forest."

The pair stopped for a moment, looking to see where the spiders where going. While the light coming from the orbs circling them was bright, the darkness of the forest was overwhelming. The kept walking, making sure to follow the trail of spiders.

* * *

A/N: Ok, so, I hope that wasn't too disappointing. Hope to have more later. Hard to keep up with chapters when I'm also working on my own stuff.


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